As happened with Gideon (verse 8.32), Samson was buried in the tomb of his father. In this final verse of the Samson story there are many links back to the story’s beginning. The name Manoah (verse 13.2) forms an inclusio, as does the phrase between Zorah and Eshta-ol (verse 13.25).

Then his brothers and all his family …: Then renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction, introducing the next event after Samson’s death. His brothers and all his family refers to Samson’s extended family. Samson’s father and mother appear several times in this story (see, for example, verse 14.2, 9), but it is only at his death that his other relatives are mentioned. This is certainly because his parents are now deceased, as becomes clear below. All his family (literally “all the house of his father”) may be rendered “the rest of his family” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “his other relatives” (similarly New Living Translation).

Came down and took him and brought him up and buried him: This series of four verbs reflects a typical Hebrew style. However, it is important to note that in this final journey for Samson, his family came down and then brought … up his body for burial. This final use of the Hebrew verbs meaning “go down” (yarad) and “go up” (ʿalah) seems to have special significance (see verse 14.1-2). If possible, these verbs should be kept. In many languages it will be necessary to speak of Samson’s body, rather than him at this point. We might say “Then Samson’s brothers and the rest of his family came down and took his body back for burial….”

For between Zorah and Eshta-ol, see verse 13.25. This fact, which seems insignificant, is actually very pertinent. It was between Zorah and Eshta-ol that Yahweh first empowered Samson. This fact is a reminder that Samson, despite all his faults, was empowered by the LORD and was truly a hero in Israel.

In the tomb of Manoah his father: No mention has been made of the death of Samson’s father, but of course it was a very common practice to keep the bones of a family in the same place (see verse 8.32). Tomb refers to the actual place where these bones were kept, usually in a cave or underground. The Hebrew word for tomb comes from the same root as the verb rendered buried. If the notion of tomb is hard to express, we might simply say “in the same place his father Manoah was buried.”

He had judged Israel twenty years: See verse 15.20. This is the narrator’s final note on Samson’s life. In this summary statement Samson’s name does not appear, but rather an emphatic pronoun for He in Hebrew. In many languages it will be necessary to mention Samson’s name here, as in Contemporary English Version and New Living Translation. The Hebrew verb for judged (shafat) is yet another case of this word having a broader sense than someone judging legal cases (see verse 3.10). There is no evidence Samson ever acted in this way, but it is clear he was a national hero. So it very important that translators use the exact same terminology used when describing the other leaders or heroes in this book. We can say Samson “led,” “was a leader,” or even “was [a major] hero.” In this context Israel refers to the area around the Philistine region, but since this way of speaking is a major feature of this book, no modification should be made here. Twenty years is the time that Samson was active in the land. Though it is a long period, it is only half the time that the Philistines oppressed the Israelites (verse 13.1).

As far as we know, Samson is the only judge to die an unnatural death, this at his own hand. Though premeditated murder is against God’s Law (Exo 20.13; Deut 5.17), other cases of suicide are known in the Old Testament, notably when Saul falls on his own sword (verse 1 Sam 31.4).

History’s view of Samson is mixed. Though empowered by Yahweh, Samson broke his Nazirite vow on several occasions, and in several ways strayed far from the standards of the more righteous Israelite leaders. His connection to foreign women who trick him is particularly and universally condemned. However, more space is allotted to this “hero” than to any other one in this book. And despite the fact that his contribution to Israel’s history seems limited to acts of vengeance, he is known throughout history for gaining spectacular victories over Israel’s enemies, all empowered by Yahweh’s “spirit” and strength. Nevertheless, most scholars consider him as part of the lesser leaders of Israel, and in many ways he can be seen as at the bottom of the “downward spiral” in this period of Israel’s history. Perhaps significantly, he is the last “judge-hero” to appear in the book.

The sections that follow (17.1–21.25) are considered appendices. Indeed, in terms of sheer horror, immorality and chaos, they surpass all the previous stories in this book. Interestingly, they also follow the same general pattern as the judges’ episodes. Beginning with a troubling story of idolatry and thievery among the Israelites, the appendices continue on with an horrific account of a bloody civil war.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .